


you saw no faults (no cracks in my heart)

by BrokenMachine



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, JARVIS never died bc i love that mf, Lonely Tony Stark, Protective Peter Parker, Sad Tony Stark, Tony Stark Needs Sleep, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and he gets one, au where tony and cap reunite briefly before iw, based off of that "I gave you that key for emergencies "we ran out of doritos" prompt, but that's only mentioned, but then he gets love x, sometime between homecoming and infinity war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-11 03:04:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15963359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenMachine/pseuds/BrokenMachine
Summary: “Wait, no, what? What are you doing here?”“We used the key,” MJ said matter-of-factly.or, Tony comes back home from a gruelling mission to find three very unexpected teenagers using his TV. It's whatever.





	you saw no faults (no cracks in my heart)

Tony blinked hard to keep himself awake as he levelled the suit down towards the waiting platform. His stomach jolted and he hissed quietly. The damaged suit scraped hard against his injuries—Tony knew he was still bleeding somewhere but couldn’t think of anything except having a drink of scotch and passing out on the nearest couch. Or floor. Whatever.

“Sir, my scans reveal you require medical assistance, a—“

“Put a can in it, J,” Tony said, not unkindly. “Bore me with how I’m going to die tomorrow morning, will you?” He landed, groaning as he was jarred slightly. 

“As you wish, Sir. I must insist—“

“JARVIS, come on,” Tony mumbled, stepping out of the suit. His body ached and burned but he rubbed his bare arms against the cold night sky and stumbled into the compound. It was silent when the door shut behind him and Tony had to take a minute to adjust. Sometimes, even with all the time to get over it, he still missed the sounds of the others, of his team, his friends.

God, he needed a drink.

“If you will, JARVIS.” He pulled on a hoodie left over the back of a barstool as the lights were lowered, flung from when he had been called to Wakanda two days ago. It had been Clint’s hoodie once, he thought, but then banished the dark thought to the corner of his mind. Whatever.

For a brief second as he crossed the room to the fridge, he considered calling Pepper, asking her over so she could stay in the bed with him, so he could feel another human being nearby. Without her, sleeping in it just felt wrong.

Almost as quickly as he thought it, he disregarded it. It was ass o’clock in the morning, what they had going was great, all things considered, (like how he was a fucking nightmare and also the luckiest man in the world, really, how did he even get her back this time—) and he didn’t want to ruin it by pushing too far. 

He poured himself a drink, downed it, not really knowing or caring what it was, but felt the warmth heat him up inside. “You’re a sad man, Stark,” he muttered to himself, eyelids drooping as the exhaustion began to creep into his bones. “Time for a fucking nap.”

“Sir, I must update you—“

“JARVIS, if it isn’t the end of the world or something equally as unimportant, I don’t give a single shit.” He regretted his harsh tone almost immediately and stepped into the lift with a groan. “Sorry, buddy.”

“Quite alright, Sir,” the AI sounded long suffering but sympathetic. Tony would’ve felt uncomfortable if it was anyone else. “My top priority is your wellbeing, after all.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sleep time,” Tony felt looser from the alcohol and the pain from his multiple cuts, lumps and bumps had been dulled significantly. 

“Very good, Sir.”

Tony stepped out onto his floor when the doors dinged open and blinked. Three heads were visible over the back of one of the couches facing the TV. 

It paused and various sounds of confusion came from the couch as the lights came up. With better eyesight, Tony recognised them all. “What?”

“Mr. Stark!” Peter Parker stood up fast, a shocked look on his face, already turning red. Behind him, Ned and MJ watched, only their eyes visible. They looked stunned nevertheless.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he mumbled. The exhaustion tugged at him and he blinked against it. “Wait, no, what? What are you doing here?”

“We used the key,” MJ said matter-of-factly. 

“Yeah, I know, just—you know what, okay, whatever. I’m going to sleep, those keys are for emergencies, you know?” He hardly even realised he was still speaking as he walked past them to the couch perpendicular to theirs, (his, really. Since when did all his things become these kids’?) and flopped down on top of it, passing out almost immediately. 

The last thing he heard, softly and like he was underwater as the lights went back down, “We ran out of Doritos.”

✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

When he woke, it to the sound of people murmuring a few feet away. The sound was nice, comforting, and for a brief second he didn’t realise it wasn’t Natasha and Clint bantering, with Steve joining in on the side. Then reality crashed in with all his grievances and he remembered. The injuries also announced their arrival with vigour, the pain shooting up and down his wrist, the pulsing on his left temple and cheekbone, and the sharp burning down his leg making him twitch with a low grunt of discomfort. 

Something heavy and soft covered him. He buried his nose into it and smelled the earthy, clean smell of Bruce. Tony’s heart twitched with grief. 

“Mr. Stark? Are you awake?” A hand touched his shoulder and Tony lifted his head slightly, squinting open one eye. Peter’s worried face looked down at him. 

“Hey, kid,” he mumbled. Peter was freshly washed, hair wet and wearing hoodies and sweatpants. “You live here now?”

Peter blushed and stepped back, averting his eyes. “Didn’t want to leave you here. You looked pretty rough, but JARVIS told us you were okay.”

“Smart robot.” Tony sat up slowly, noticing the splint on his wrist, hissing through his teeth. “Hey, other people who do not live here,” he greeted Ned and MJ.

“Hi, Mr. Stark,” Ned waved, turning to face him from the kitchen. MJ nodded in his general direction, swinging on the barstool with a book in her hand and eyes never leaving it.

“What’s the time? Jesus.” Tony pressed a hand to his temple at his pounding headache and felt a cut there.

“It is six thirty-eight PM on Sunday evening, Sir,” JARVIS cut in. “You have been sleeping since three twenty-four this morning, for just over fifteen hours.”

“Not half bad,” Tony leaned back and shook his head. “Alright, give me the damage, J.” Peter sat down opposite him and MJ and Ned kept chatting in the kitchen with glances thrown at them occasionally.

“You have multiple cuts and bruises from the damage done to the suit, Sir. You also appear to have fractured your right wrist and sprained your left leg. Your ribs are also bruised, but healing quickly.”

“Fantastic,” Tony sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head in his hand. He sat like that for a while, tiredness threatening to pull him back under, and then snapped awake as Peter touched his knee. “Why is my arm already splinted up?” A support bandage covered from his thumb to his elbow and it was covered in well wrapped tape. 

“I did it,” Ned offered, looking a little sheepish. Tony raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Ned blushed but shrugged. “I’ve been doing an out of school first aid course.”

“Mr. JARVIS helped him, too,” MJ added, lowering her book and looking up.

“Well, thanks, kid,” Tony leaned back on the couch. “Don’t you youngins have school tomorrow?”

“Peter wouldn’t leave you, sir,” Ned piped up. “You looked too ill.”

Tony turned his gaze to Peter, stiff and sore. Peter looked back at him with a steady gaze, something he wouldn’t have dared do two years ago. “You looked bad, Mr. Stark,” he defended. 

“Jeez. Thanks, Pete. And you two too. You should probably go now, though. I don’t want to be sued for keeping the kids from their education.”

MJ hopped off the barstool and tucked her book under her arm. “‘Kay. Feel better soon, Mr. Stark,” she called as she pulled Ned from the room, who waved and struggled a little in her grip.

Tony watched them go and then slumped back, closing his eyes and pinching his nose to alleviate the pressure growing behind his eyes.

“Mr. Stark?”

He jerked up, shocked and almost punched Peter in the nose. Peter caught his hand fast, curling his fingers around his fist. Tony pointedly ignored the tremors racking his arm. “Jeez, kid, don’t do that to me,” Tony shook his head, trying to calm his thumping heart. “I thought you’d left—why are you still here?” It came out a little sharper than he meant but Peter didn’t blush or look away.

“What happened, Mr. Stark?” Peter lowered his arm and sat back, giving him personal space. Tony slumped back on the couch, rubbing his eyes. He needed a drink. Or several.

“I was negotiating with King T’Challa.” Peter’s eyes grew a little wider, but he didn’t say anything. He’d been subjected to a few of Tony’s rants about previous visits before. “And this time I bumped into good ol’ Cap.” His heart twinged with a mix of anger and sadness. 

“Did he do this to you?” Tony could already sense Peter getting angry and looked up, smiling without meaning to.

“I adore you, kid.” It slipped out and Tony inwardly recoiled as he froze outwardly, ending it in just roll with it. Peter’s mouth fell open and Tony scoffed, reaching out and affectionately pushing Peter’s head with his good hand. The kid smiled wide, cheeks glowing pink. Tony moved on briskly before his body could betray him again. “Yeah, no, it wasn’t Rogers. There was this other guy who came in, tried to get Wakandan tech. We had to work together.”

“I’m sorry,” Peter said quietly. Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to fight back the lump that had appeared in the back of his throat. Peter squeezed his shoulder, leaving his hand there tentatively. 

(In the background, Tony saw Steve’s bearded face, the surprised tone of his voice. “Tony?” and tried to forget it.)

“It’s okay,” he murmured, almost to himself. “It’s okay.”

“Are you okay, Mr. Stark?” Peter moved closer, worry filling his eyes. Tony couldn’t take the way he looked at him, like—like he was okay, like he wasn’t a bad person and that he deserved to be looked out for. “You look…I don’t know.”

“Like shit?” Tony heaved himself up and sniffed his jumper. God, he needed a shower. “Nah, I’m fine, kid. Just need another forty winks and a wash.”

“I just meant because you’re alone. In the tower,” Peter’s big doe eyes were concerned and Tony tried to pretend he didn’t choke up a little by coughing. “Sorry, I—“

“No, no, you’re fine,” Tony cut in, turning away so he could blink the mist from his eyes. “Thanks for caring kid, but I’m not alone. I have Pepper, and Rhodey.” Speaking of, he wondered when Rhodey would visit. It had been a while and he had upgrades for his braces. He glanced at Peter again, who was watching him, still worry in his eyes. “I have you, too.”

A grin stretched Peter’s face. “Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

In a flash he was off the couch, wrapped tight around Tony’s sore ribs, head tucked into his shoulder. It took Tony a second to decide whether to push him off or hug him back and only managed to get one hand on Peter’s back before the kid was away and halfway out the room.

“Bye, Mr. Stark! See you tomorrow!” Peter shouted and then disappeared. Tony chuckled disbelievingly, shaking his head. He didn’t remember making plans to see Peter tomorrow night but he found he didn’t mind. It was okay.

Something settled in his heart as his body warmed from Peter’s hug. It had been a while, since he’d been hugged like that. He quickly wiped away the mist from his eyes and ignored the smile splitting his face. He needed to get ready for Pepper coming over.

That thought in mind, Tony headed for his (desperately needed) shower.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think!


End file.
